Free Republic

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Abdifatah Ahmed struggled for years to make ends meet. After losing his $15-an-hour job fueling airliners in Minneapolis, the Somali-American father of nine survived on low-wage jobs and public assistance. He complained about working hard, but never having enough money. His circumstances worsened when he was ordered to pay more than $700 a month to support three of his children — including one less than a year old. Months later, he surfaced in Syria, where he went to fight for the Islamic State.

Nearly 85 percent of those arrested or cited in connection with shoplifting calls at Eagan’s new outlet mall were people of color, according to a Star Tribune analysis of nearly 1,000 calls to police in the first eight months the center was open. The percentage of blacks and other minorities arrested or charged with shoplifting offenses at Eagan’s Twin Cities Premium Outlet was higher than at nearby Burnsville Center, in all of Minneapolis or at a similar outlet mall in Albertville. Eagan police say the mall has attracted organized and sophisticated shoplifting rings, but say they typically rely on the...

Federal authorities are investigating a Minneapolis police officer who has been the target of two brutality lawsuits that have cost the city $410,000. The investigation focuses on Michael Griffin, a patrol officer in north Minneapolis, who joined the police force in 2007. Griffin has been the subject of 22 police internal affairs investigations, a total that may include both public complaints and internal department issues. Most of the claims against him were not upheld. The U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment. However, a number of sources told the Star Tribune that the FBI has been making inquiries that include questions...

A stolen Bible with two $1,000 savings bonds issued to a 90-year-old Carver County man who was murdered led police to arrest two suspects in his death. Earl Olander was found beaten and robbed inside his home on the 16000 block of Homestead Road back on April 11. Police say his hands and ankles were bound with duct tape and that he was found lying face-down on the floor of his living room. According to the criminal complaint, Olander had multiple injuries to his head, face and body. Police also say his entire home was ransacked, with drawers pulled out...

The Stillwater Concert Choir breaks out into song at a hotel pool. The acoustics were perfect for them to sing F. Melius Christiansen's "O Day Full of Grace."

Back in December the St. Cloud Islamic community was all in a rage over several incidents of vandalism that had occurred at a local mosque. The local ‘interfaith’ community rallied and the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American Relations (CAIR) arrived on the scene and even called in the feds in hopes of proving that a “hate crime” had occurred. Here is CAIR’s commentary—making sure that everyone is notified that Muslims are victims of hate crimes in America! Lori Saroya ‘Our biggest concern is that it will escalate.’ Lori Saroya, [former] executive director of CAIR-MN, said the biggest concern...

Twenty-seven senators want President Obama to block federal agencies and contractors from asking job applicants about prior criminal convictions. The senators, including 26 Democrats and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), want Obama to take executive action to "ban the box," referring to a question on job applications that asks if an applicant has any convictions. "We ask you to require federal contractors and agencies to refrain from asking job applicants about prior convictions until later in the hiring process," they said in a letter to Obama on Monday. "This policy would eliminate unnecessary barriers to employment for all job...

An off-duty Elk River police officer and his son were shot dead Saturday night in St. Michael, Minn., and another of the officer's sons was arrested after he called 911 saying he wanted to turn himself in, authorities say. Police say that at 7:06 p.m. Saturday, a man called 911 from a house in the 4500 block of Mayfield Avenue saying he had been shot. According to radio traffic posted on the MN Police Clips, a male caller told a 911 dispatcher that his brother shot him in the chest. "Sounds like the phone dropped," the dispatcher said. "I can...

The Clinton Foundation has come under scrutiny over the past few months with the scandal concerning Hillary Clinton's personal email server being used for State Department business. This week, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann said the Clinton Foundation was nothing more than an international money laundering ring. In speaking with Newsmax TV, Bachmann said, "This is the most transparent family in the United States, right? The woman who won't hand over her server, who wasn't supposed to do her government work on that server in the first place, who violated department rules… who, in all likelihood, probably violated US federal rules,...

When the guns finally fell silent in Europe 70 years ago today, St. Paul prayed and drank. It was called V-E Day -- Victory in Europe -- when Nazi leaders still alive in Germany agreed to unconditional surrender ending World War II on the European continent. In St. Paul, it was celebrated with a prayer service at the Municipal Auditorium attended by 6,000 people. "The audience ranged from fur-draped women to women in defense plant coveralls and bandannas, and from white-collared business executives to work-stained garage mechanics," according to the St. Paul Dispatch. The city's churches also were packed, as...

A man suspected of vandalizing the St. Cloud Islamic Center had regularly attended prayer services there, St. Cloud Police said. The incident was reported at 4:48 a.m. Thursday on the 300 block of Fifth Avenue South in St. Cloud. It happened while prayer services were taking place inside. The front door window of the Islamic Center and a window of a nearby car were broken, police said. Witnesses chased a man and detained him for police. Officers determined that the windows had been broken with a basketball-sized plaster ball that is artwork. The suspect made the piece and obtained it...

Intimacy is the key to your breaking through in your days ahead . So persevere as Daniel and Gabriel for I will send My angels of My Presence as Michael (AS GOD) as you spend time in mine . . . DANIEL 10:12-21 12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael,...

The threat of foreign fighter recruitment is greater today than it has ever been. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is proving lethally effective in drawing extremists from around the world to their ranks, and in the United States, ISIL is targeting the Somali-American community in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. There are more than 40,000 Somali-Americans and immigrants in Minnesota. This growing immigrant community is facing substantial challenges, including weak family structures, lack of education, racism and violent crime. In this mix of chronic community challenges, young people can be unsure of their personal identity, leaving them vulnerable...

Muslim agitation, attrition, the litigation jihad accompanies all counter terror programs in these United States. We are constantly being told, scolded, admonished and clubbed with the now well worn meme that “only a tiny minority” “a radical few” Muslims engage in jihad. And yet we never see Muslim organizations supporting, encouraging cooperation and applauding any counter terror efforts.Why is that? Based on everything we are constantly being told about moderate Muslims – this is an impossibility. And yet this impossibility is our constant companion.Is it any wonder there is a stream of young Muslims from these communities and mosques flocking...

Nearly 50 mosques, Muslim organizations and student groups have signed a statement that highlights concerns with a federal pilot program to combat radicalization and terror recruitment in Minnesota. “While we support the right of all Americans to live in democratic communities free of violence, we cannot in good conscience condone or help refine programs that are fundamentally discriminatory and are likely to further subject our community members to additional civil rights abuses,” said the statement released by the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The statement lists 44 Muslim organizations as undersigned supporters, as well as the National...

On Facebook, Twin Cities organizers called on people who stand for social, economic and racial justice to peacefully rally with them. “It’s imperative to understand when we lose a life to police, it affects all of us,” organizer Mica Grimm said. “Police are out to protect every single citizen, not just certain ones.” This isn’t the first time this group has rallied together. “Black Lives Matter” is the same organization that demonstrated inside Mall of America on Dec. 20, 2014 to protest the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York. The protesters briefly shut down...

Just an hour after UMN President Eric Kaler delivered his annual State of the University address, Minneapolis activists, led by Students for a Democratic Society members, delivered their own address. Dubbed a "People's State of the University Address", the address centered on the struggle of students, staff, and faculty, including inflated administrations, the need for a diversified campus, tuition hikes, and greater difficulties for workers. This was in contrast the the address delivered by Eric Kaler which was little more than a PR stunt for the university.read more

LANSING, MI — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder "is running" for president, according to a former U.S. Senator, whose comments at a Republican confab were quickly contradicted by a spokesman for the governor, who said he has not made any decisions of that kind. "I met with Rick Snyder yesterday," former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman told reporters on Saturday morning at the Republican Jewish Coalition's spring meeting, according to the Guardian and other publications. "He's running. He's running." Snyder was in Las Vegas this weekend to attend the RJC meeting as part of what his advisors are calling an economic tour....

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — Dozens of local Somali families gathered at the State Capitol Saturday afternoon, calling for the release of six terror suspects. They’re calling for the government to stop what they see as attacks against them, and say the suspects were set up. Six local Somalis were charged this week with trying to leave the country to join the terrorist group. These four men were taken into custody in Minneapolis a week ago. Two others were arrested in San Diego. Federal agents also arrested Mahamed Said for allegedly making threats on Twitter in response to the arrests....

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's Senate added language to a bill Thursday that would legalize gun silencers — a surprise development as majority Democrats had shown little interest in changing the state's gun laws and a direct challenge to Gov. Mark Dayton's promise that such a measure would meet his veto pen. The silencer language was added to a grab bag of policy changes that would also mandate external investigations for officer-involved deaths, set ground rules for law enforcement's use of drones and restore voting rights to felons after they're released from prison. The full bill passed 39-22, with...